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Make It Flake: Reloaded

Yesterday, House Republicans rejected a motion by Minority Leader John Boehner and new Minority Whip Eric Cantor to enact a short-term earmark moratorium only through February 16. Unwilling to give up their pork just for three short months, Republicans can hardly try to pin the Big Spenders label on Dems, like they did earlier this year.

Former Minority Whip Roy Blunt's words last winter sound more than a little hollow now:

"It is regrettable - though, sadly, not surpring - that Democrats have once again rejected the American taxpayers' calls for reform. Republicans know what our constituents have been saying is true: Washington is broken, and we can take a giant step to regain the trust of the American people if both parties come together to fix the earmark process.

If Republicans want to set themselves apart and show a "desire for change" they could start by taking the earmark problem seriously.

Rep. Jeff Flake of Arizona understands the urgent need for oversight and reform of the earmark process and is once again standing up for a position on the powerful House Appropriations Committee. So, once again, FreedomWorks is calling on the House Steering Committe to Make it Flake and put this reformer where he can do the most good.

Shortly before adjourning for Thanksgiving, House Republicans met in private to vote on rules proposals for the 115th Congress, which begins on January 3. Among the proposals considered by the conference was one that would bring back earmarks.

Weldon Angelos’s story has become known around the country as a horrifying example of how harsh mandatory minimums can ruin the lives of non-violent criminals and their families. Angelos was sentenced in 2004 to 55 years for drug-related crimes. Judge Paul G. Cassell, who handed down the sentence, was vocal about his frustration with a system that would have Angelos spend the rest of his life incarcerated while child rapists and airplane hijackers received significantly shorter sentences.

As one of our over 5.7 million FreedomWorks activists nationwide, I urge you to contact your representative and ask them to vote YES on Rep. Sanford’s (R-SC) amendment to H.R. 5293, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2017. The amendment would keep in place the U.S. military’s current practice of providing vouchers to recruits allowing them to pick the shoe of their choice. Recently, legislation passed the House and Senate that would change this practice and cost the taxpayers over $300 million. Rep. Sanford’s amendment to H.R. 5293 is expected to be considered on the House floor tomorrow, June 16.

In an attempt to expand the use of health savings accounts (HSAs), Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) and Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) have introduced the Health Savings Account Expansion Act of 2016 (H.R. 5324 in the House and S. 2980 in the Senate). This legislation will expand and simplify the popular HSAs that put Americans in charge of their healthcare.

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing to examine employee misconduct at the EPA. Misconduct has continued at the EPA despite repeated reform efforts and multiple hearings. Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) opened the hearing by calling the EPA “one of the most toxic places in the federal government to work.” That is a big claim, and one that should alarm conservatives and libertarians who consciously worry about corruption, protectionism, and bureaucracy in the federal government.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) does not believe the United States' $19.2 trillion national debt is a national security threat. He made the comments during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the strategic implications of the national debt on Wednesday, chaired by Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.)

President Barack Obama drew a line in the sand on budget caps during his weekly address to the country. Citing the latest employment report to argue that the economy has improved, he threatened to veto any budget produced by the Republican-controlled Congress that keeps spending in check.